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Item Name: Painting
Title: Pink African Violet
Maker: Mina Forsyth
Year: 1979
Country: Canadian
Materials: acrylic on canvas
Measurements: overall: 120 cm x 152.5 cm
ID Number: PC85.7
Legal Status: PERMANENT COLLECTION
Extended Label Info: A widely recognized Canadian artist, critic and teacher, Mina Forsyth was an active member of the Saskatchewan art community from the 1950s to the 1980s. A participant in five Emma Lake workshops and the Regina’s abstract expressionist milieu, Forsyth’s work is a diverse mix of containing still life’s, landscapes, abstract pieces, and portraiture. In painting everyday subject matter, she was devoted to continuously hone her craft. Much like in the style of Cubism, where forms were simplified into geometric shapes, Forsyth’s distinct style can be seen in Pink African Violet, as a common house plant comes to life through an eloquent use of colour relationships and blocked shapes. Her work continues to be recognized as a significant contribution to Saskatchewan artistic development. Mina Mabel Forsyth (née McDonald) (1920-1987) was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan. She completed her high school by correspondence while working at the Bank of Montreal, and went on to take both the Associate's and the Fellows Course in banking from Queen's University. Forsyth then worked for the British Air Commission in Washington and New York (1942-1946). Taking courses in art, Forsyth went on to earn her BFA at University of Manitoba in Winnipeg (1955). Then, she continued her graduate studies in the US, at Michigan State University in East Lansing, and studied with the expressionist painter Abraham Rattner, who served as Distinguished Visiting Professor in 1956. After graduating with her MFA (1957) she returned to Canada and teaching. Forsyth taught at: Winnipeg School of Art (1952-1955, 1960), Winnipeg School Board (1959-1963), Manitoba Teachers' College (1963), University of Saskatchewan's Regina Campus (1964-1966), and University of British Columbia's Summer School (1966-1971). In 1967, Forsyth was welcomed to the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon as a professor in painting, where she remained until retirement in 1985. Forsyth attended summer workshops at Emma Lake, studying with Jack Shadbolt (1955); Jules Olitski (1964); Lawrence Alloway (1965); Harold Cohen (1966); Frank Stella (1967); Walter Darby Bannard and John McLean (1981); Tim Hilton and Terry Atkinson (1987). In 1977, she hosted Emma Lake as a guest artist . Throughout her career, Forsyth was dedicated to life-long learning, and to supporting her students in their practices. Her expressionist and abstract landscapes, figurative works, as well as still life paintings are found in many public and private collections in Canada, including the ReMai Modern Museum. After her death, the Saskatchewan Arts Board (now SK Arts) recognized Forsyth’s work with a Lifetime Achievement Award (1991).
Title: Pink African Violet
Maker: Mina Forsyth
Year: 1979
Country: Canadian
Materials: acrylic on canvas
Measurements: overall: 120 cm x 152.5 cm
ID Number: PC85.7
Legal Status: PERMANENT COLLECTION
Extended Label Info: A widely recognized Canadian artist, critic and teacher, Mina Forsyth was an active member of the Saskatchewan art community from the 1950s to the 1980s. A participant in five Emma Lake workshops and the Regina’s abstract expressionist milieu, Forsyth’s work is a diverse mix of containing still life’s, landscapes, abstract pieces, and portraiture. In painting everyday subject matter, she was devoted to continuously hone her craft. Much like in the style of Cubism, where forms were simplified into geometric shapes, Forsyth’s distinct style can be seen in Pink African Violet, as a common house plant comes to life through an eloquent use of colour relationships and blocked shapes. Her work continues to be recognized as a significant contribution to Saskatchewan artistic development. Mina Mabel Forsyth (née McDonald) (1920-1987) was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan. She completed her high school by correspondence while working at the Bank of Montreal, and went on to take both the Associate's and the Fellows Course in banking from Queen's University. Forsyth then worked for the British Air Commission in Washington and New York (1942-1946). Taking courses in art, Forsyth went on to earn her BFA at University of Manitoba in Winnipeg (1955). Then, she continued her graduate studies in the US, at Michigan State University in East Lansing, and studied with the expressionist painter Abraham Rattner, who served as Distinguished Visiting Professor in 1956. After graduating with her MFA (1957) she returned to Canada and teaching. Forsyth taught at: Winnipeg School of Art (1952-1955, 1960), Winnipeg School Board (1959-1963), Manitoba Teachers' College (1963), University of Saskatchewan's Regina Campus (1964-1966), and University of British Columbia's Summer School (1966-1971). In 1967, Forsyth was welcomed to the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon as a professor in painting, where she remained until retirement in 1985. Forsyth attended summer workshops at Emma Lake, studying with Jack Shadbolt (1955); Jules Olitski (1964); Lawrence Alloway (1965); Harold Cohen (1966); Frank Stella (1967); Walter Darby Bannard and John McLean (1981); Tim Hilton and Terry Atkinson (1987). In 1977, she hosted Emma Lake as a guest artist . Throughout her career, Forsyth was dedicated to life-long learning, and to supporting her students in their practices. Her expressionist and abstract landscapes, figurative works, as well as still life paintings are found in many public and private collections in Canada, including the ReMai Modern Museum. After her death, the Saskatchewan Arts Board (now SK Arts) recognized Forsyth’s work with a Lifetime Achievement Award (1991).